In June 2019, I had the privilege of presenting a Revit-related topic to the Seattle Revit Users Group (“SeaRUG”). I have presented to SeaRUG several times, and it was nice to go back and present to them again. I always enjoy my trips up to Seattle from Portland.

My presentation was titled, “Get Your Revit Templates and Projects in Order,” and I delivered it shortly after we released our fifth Revit add-in called Ideate StyleManager.

The premise of the presentation was to remind people that is important to add and create targeted content for Revit templates, such as defining certain System Types, loading important component families, and safely auditing templates, projects, and families for non-standard Revit Styles, such as Object Style sub-categories, Line Styles, Fill Patterns, Materials and Assets, etc.

As Revit templates and projects continue to be created and updated, non-standard Styles always find their way into these files, no matter how hard you try to keep them out. The capabilities of the Purge command in Revit are limited, and deleting non-standard Styles in Revit is tedious and extremely risky, as I demonstrated live to the audience; I deleted the default Viewport Type from a Revit model and it literally destroyed the Revit file.

Near the end of my presentation, I demonstrated how Ideate StyleManager can:

• Analyze Revit Styles
• List where the Styles are in use
• Give users the option to delete the Styles safely or merge them with standard Styles

With Ideate StyleManager, you will be confident that the decisions you are about to make are safe ones. Trying to make these decisions without software like Ideate StyleManager is too risky and can damage your file if you are not careful.

At the end of the presentation, my message to the group was to not delete anything without being informed. Ideate Software products help users make informed decisions. After all, we want you to be certain of your Revit data.

Shown below are some images and captions from the SeaRUG presentation. If you are interested in viewing the recorded presentation, please visit the SeaRUG YouTube channel for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucVZeT6Er5A 

This slide depicts some of the categories that should be considered when creating Revit templates. Items highlighted in blue (exception: Starting View & Ideate Software Settings) were a focus of the discussion, since they tend to be standards that start to deviate as CAD imports and non-standard content find their way into Revit templates and projects. This is where Ideate StyleManager saves the day.

 
This slide depicts the importance of Starting Views in templates and projects as they relate to important project information. For this discussion, we reviewed the option to use an Ideate Sticky to post company-based information, so when all users open a Revit model daily, they see relevant information that a BIM manager posts for the day. Some folks mentioned during the presentation that they use Ideate Sticky in a Starting view for project checklists.

 
 
This slide depicts some of the ways in which Styles (Object Style sub-categories, Fill Patterns, Line Styles, Materials, etc.) find their way into Revit Templates, Projects, and Families. These are some of the reasons keeping Revit files clean can be a constant battle, especially when Revit experience levels vary. Ideate Software applications can help with these battles.

 
 
This slide depicts some ways in which objects can be cleaned up from Revit templates and projects. Most categories of objects can be safely cleaned up with the Purge command. For those that cannot be cleaned with the Purge command, manual deletion of Styles can be harmful to your project. Ideate Software tools can help mitigate these risks so you are certain of your Revit model data.

Visit our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP, BCI, BCC - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and a Bluebeam Certified Instructor. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.

You may know Brian Mackey from BIM conferences, Autodesk events, Revit user group meetings, or maybe from his Revit Geeks Blog. Now you can hear from him at an Ideate Software webinar!

Brian is a well-known consultant with BD Mackey Consulting who has been working in the AEC industry for 30 years, and he is an avid user of Ideate Software solutions. We were pleased to have Brian as a beta tester of our latest Revit add-in, Ideate StyleManager, and I was honored to welcome him to our latest customer webinar.

Here’s a link to the recording of the webinar. Watch it to see Brian demonstrate how he uses Ideate StyleManager to review and clean up Revit templates. He said, “I love this tool. I use it often.”

Brian also spoke a bit about how he uses the Ideate Warnings Manager, saying, “For those concerned with Revit warnings, Ideate’s Warnings Manager is a must-have tool.”

Visit our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Richard W. Taylor, Associate AIA – Technical Evangelist 
Richard has more than 30 years of experience working for companies that develop architectural and engineering software solutions, such as Intergraph, Bentley, and Autodesk. He has over 18 years of Revit experience, and he was part of the original development of Revit while at Revit Technology Corporation. He worked for 12 years at Autodesk, where he presented, taught, and worked to improve features in Revit. Richard holds both a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As Technical Evangelist, Richard works with AECO clients worldwide, developing and consulting on BIM solutions. Find Richard on Twitter.

San Francisco, CA, June 12, 2019 – Ideate Software, a veteran Autodesk Developer Network member, is pleased to release its latest Revit add-on application, Ideate StyleManager. With it, Revit users will maintain style standards by easily analyzing, deleting, or merging non-standard styles.

“Ideate StyleManager evolved from talks with customers,” said Glynnis Patterson, director of software development. “When answering questions about challenges faced when managing Revit Object Styles, customers noted similar challenges in adjacent areas. From their input, we decided to expand the capabilities of this new application to include managing Line Styles, Line Patterns, Fill Patterns, Filters, View Templates, Scope Boxes, Materials, and Material Appearance Assets.”

An indication of the importance of this solution was the number of beta testers, which well surpassed that of other Ideate Software tools. “Ideate StyleManager is shaping up to be an amazing tool, as it's covering several gaps in Revit,” said Fabio L Oliveira, BIM manager, Woolworths Group.

Challenges with Revit styles arise when users import content, because the corresponding styles automatically come with the content. Proper management of these styles reduces publishing errors and end-user confusion, but the management process in Revit can be time consuming and risky, and errors can dramatically impact the models and production documents. 

Revit users will use Ideate StyleManager to:

• Safely delete styles that otherwise cannot be deleted or purged in Revit software
• Merge non-standard styles into standard styles
• Forensically analyze the usage of all styles to understand the true scope of a deletion
• Clean up Object Styles, Line Styles, Line Patterns, Fill Patterns, Materials, Material Appearance Assets, View Filters, Templates, and Scope Boxes
• Understand which views are using which View Filters

Phyllis Robbins from Eppstein Uhen Architects said, “Managing [unapproved styles] has always been impossible, as there is no easy way to understand what is used and what is extraneous. Ideate StyleManager makes it quick and easy to strip families of unnecessary junk.”

“As a company driven by the success of its customers, we are excited to offer this solution to problems articulated by those customers,” said Bob Palioca, president, Ideate Software. “Based on their feedback, we know that Ideate StyleManager will help businesses become more productive and improve the return on their investment in Revit software.”
 

About Ideate Software

Ideate Software empowers Revit users to gain unprecedented control over their data. Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps were all developed to solve persistent problems in architecture, engineering, and construction, and owner (AECO) workflows. Ideate Software solutions enable Revit users to save time, increase accuracy, improve project deliverables, and elevate design.

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, ATC, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.

Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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Companies with one person using Ideate Software tools see that person move away from tedious, time-consuming Revit tasks to more interesting, creative work. That person is happier because he/she can focus on what matters most, and clients are happier because they get more innovative and accurate designs, quicker.

Now imagine the sweeping changes that would occur if your whole team used all the Ideate Software tools.

Making these changes is easier than you think with savings available through multi-product and multi-user pricing:

• Single-user, stand-alone license annual subscription
  • US$495 - US$795 each (Ideate StyleManager, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, IdeateApps)
  • Ideate Explorer, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps – US$1,495
• Multi-user, network license annual subscription
  • Ideate Explorer, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for one person at a time on the network – US$2,495
  • Ideate Explorer, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for five people at a time on the network – US$7,000
  • Ideate Explorer, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for 25 people at a time on the network – US$10,000
• Enterprise, multi-user network license annual subscription
  • Ideate Explorer, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps to all Revit users in your company – US$20,000

ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS INCLUDE:

• Instructor-led online training and access to recorded webinars, how-to videos, and robust Help files 
• Support from technical experts 
• Software that works with the current and previous three versions of Revit
• New Ideate Software releases for subscribed titles within the subscription period
• International license use (network; no additional fees) 

More and more of our customers around the world take advantage of the bundles. So don’t put it off any longer. Join hundreds of satisfied Ideate Software customers all over the globe and opt for a bundle today. Not sure which pricing option is right for you? Contact us to discuss your current situation, and we will help you discover the appropriate solution for your firm.